ISRO Successfully Launches India’s Heaviest Home-Built Communication Satellite CMS-03
The powerful LVM3-M5 rocket lifted off from Sriharikota, carrying the 4,410 kg CMS-03 satellite into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.
Sriharikota: In a proud moment for India’s space programme, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday successfully launched CMS-03, the heaviest communication satellite ever carried by an Indian rocket.
The satellite was launched aboard LVM3-M5, ISRO’s most powerful heavy-lift rocket, which took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 5:26 pm, following a 24-hour countdown. The 43.5-metre-tall launcher lit up the evening sky as it thundered upward, leaving behind a trail of bright orange flames.
According to ISRO, the satellite will separate from the rocket after about 16 to 20 minutes of flight, at an altitude of roughly 180 km. Once positioned in the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), CMS-03 will enhance India’s communication network across the mainland and vast oceanic regions.
Built to deliver multi-band communication services, CMS-03 represents another step forward in India’s efforts toward space self-reliance. This is the heaviest satellite ever launched from Indian soil, demonstrating ISRO’s growing capability to handle large payloads domestically.
Until now, ISRO had relied on the Kourou Space Centre in French Guiana for its heaviest missions. Notably, in December 2018, the space agency launched GSAT-11, weighing 5,854 kg, aboard an Ariane-5 rocket from the French launch base — the heaviest satellite built by India so far.
With today’s successful launch, India has taken a major step in strengthening its space infrastructure and showcasing the capabilities of its indigenous LVM3 launcher.
